Candlelight vigil to be held tonight

PAUL SQUIRE FILE PHOTO | Mourners clung to one another for support during a vigil in Riverhead after Demitri Hampton was killed in January. Riverhead Organizing for Action is sponsoring a candlelight vigil Saturday to ask for federal action against gun violence.

A candlelight vigil to ask for federal action against gun violence will take place Saturday evening at Grangebel Riverfront Park in Riverhead.

The vigil, themed “We Have Not Forgotten,” will be held from 8 to 9 p.m.

The event is organized by Riverhead Organizing for Action group, part of a national nonprofit that advocates for federal policies throughout the country.

It comes after several incidents of gun violence that have hit close to home, including the death of Riverhead High School graduate Demitri Hampton, who was gunned down in his cousin’s Flanders home in January.

Residents who have candles are asked to bring them, however some will be provided.

“We shall raise our voices here in Riverhead and pray they are heard all the way to Washington, D.C.,” said Angela De Vito, event organizer for the group.

The group will provide information to those interested in supporting gun policy legislation, according to a release. More information is available at the New Yorkers Against Gun Violence website, at www.nyagv.org.

“We shall ask our national leaders to have the courage and strength to enact legislation that protects citizens in their homes and on the streets of their neighborhoods, towns, and cities,” Ms. De Vito said.